1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, a wireless communication apparatus, a wireless communication method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless LAN standards (IEEE802.11) include an infrastructure mode in which an access point adjusts access timings of a plurality of wireless terminal devices on a wireless network and an ad-hoc mode in which access timings are determined between wireless terminal devices.
In the infrastructure mode set through an access point, in comparison with the ad-hoc mode, a low throughput can be obtained. However, wireless terminals controlled under the access point can be connected to a wired LAN or the Internet. On the other hand, in the ad-hoc mode, since the wireless terminals directly communicate with each other, a throughput increases because an overhead is not caused by an access point relay. However, in the ad-hoc mode, it may be difficult to connect the wireless terminals to a wired LAN or the Internet.
As a scheme which utilizes the advantages of the two modes, a direct link protocol (DLP) scheme is defined as an optional function of IEEE802.11e. In this scheme, a direct communication link between wireless terminals is set while keeping an infrastructure mode, and the wireless terminals can directly communicate with each other.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-72565